


Broadchurch: Watching The Show

by marshmallow_gayt



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Pre-Canon, Watching the Show, Wts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23521234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshmallow_gayt/pseuds/marshmallow_gayt
Summary: When the residents of Broadchurch wake up in a white room with a screen, what happens? They watch broadchurch!I know, it's another watching the show fic!
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Becca Fisher/Mark Latimer, Beth Latimer & Ellie Miller, Beth Latimer/Mark Latimer, Ellie Miller & Joe Miller (Broadchurch)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	1. They arrive

**Author's Note:**

> I'm way too tired, it's 3am, I had a sudden urge to write this. 
> 
> I know I'm about 7 years too late to this fandom, but hey. 
> 
> If you spot any spelling mistakes. Please point them out to me. My little dyslexic ass needs grammerly to type mostly everything. 
> 
> Please leave a comment if you like it! ❤️

Beth Latimer and her husband were watching TV on the couch, Mark’s arm around her. The kids were upstairs in bed, sound asleep.

Mark itched his ear and frowned. “Do you hear that?”

"Hear what?” Beth mumbled, half asleep. 

“I don’t know. Some sort of ringing noise. I’m gonna go check it out.” He said.

"It’s probably just one of the kids on their phone.”

"Well I’m gonna go tell them to get off it, because it’s bloody annoying.”

He wandered up the stairs and into choose room, to find not Chloe, but a crackling ball of white light. He shouted for Beth, then the world went white.

He woke up in a white room, with white sofas and white screens. He blinked. He was on the floor, how did he get on the floor? Where even was he? What’s going on? He felt a hand on his back. He turned. It was Chloe and Danny!

In the background he could see Nige and Jack Marshall, and a group of other people from the town standing watching.

“Hey kids. What’s going on?” he asked, unsure whether he was going to throw up or not.

Chloe looked scared. No, petrified. Danny looked as if he was trying to be brave, but failing.

Before anyone could answer, about 20 more people crashed into the room at once. There was a lot of shouting and swearing. 

Ellie Miller grabbed her baby son and teenager and ran to her husband. They clung to each other as everyone else scrambled to their families. 

Alec Hardy tried to see if his daughter was somewhere amongst the crowd, but to no luck. He retreated to the wall, where he slid down and watched the chaos.

As soon as everyone had settled down and stopped shouting, a woman in a blue dress walked in. Her red hair was up in a ponytail, and she had a clipboard in her hand. 

“So, Broadchurch? She looked around the room for an answer, but no one came forward. “Ok…” She looked at her clipboard, as if she was scanning it. “Is there an ‘Alec Hardy' here? Or maybe an ‘Ellie Miller’?”

Alec put his hand up form where he was sitting, and slowly got up. He walked over to the woman as everyone stared. 

He looks as confused as everyone else. “What’s going on here? Where are we? Who are you?” He asked, his tone rising.

The woman put her hands up in self-defence. “Not here to hurt you! I’m here to help. I’m Elizabeth, and here at the temporal unit, we’re striving to make you, a better person.” It sounded rehearsed.

Everyone looked at each other, confused.

“You should be getting people arriving every 2 minutes, so keep on the ball. Well be starting in about 30 minutes, so get comfy.” She pointed to the sofas and tables of food and just like that, she left.

And as true as her word, another 20 or so people crashed from the ceiling. This time, people were ready, and ran to their family members and friends. 

Mark seen Beth right in the middle of the crowd of new people, ran in, and dragged her out. 

20 minutes later, and nearly the whole town was in the room. It looked about the size of a lecture hall, but so many people seemed to be able to move freely without feeling stuck.

The woman, Elizabeth, entered the room again, this time with another person. They stood at the front, and everyone sat down. 

“Thank you.” She said. “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Elizabeth, and this is Sophie.” She pointed at the other woman.

“I understand how scary this must be for you all, and it’s ok. We are not here to hurt you.”

Suddenly, a woman with short hair stood up. “Where are we?!” she shouted. Everyone murmured in agreement. 

Sophie spoke this time. “You are at the temporal unit. We take people from different universes and allow them to watch their own lives, and sometimes, we hold a mass watching, like now.”

“Why?!” A man shouted.

“Because tomorrow night, something is going to happen that will influence the rest of your lives.” She looked at the families at the front, who happened to be the Latimers and the Millers. Also sitting in the front few rows were Alec Hardy and his daughter, Paul Coats, Jack Marshall, Nigel and Ollie.

“What’s going to happen?!” Another man shouted.  
Elizabeth looked at Sophie. “We can’t tell you right now, but it will be shown in the format of a tv show.”

There were no more questions. 

Sophie clapped her hands. “Right then, let’s get started.” They both sat down on a sofa front.

The white screen at the front lit up, and it started to play.


	2. Episode 1: part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They watch the first part of episode 1, and it takes a toll on all of them.

The ocean waves roll in. The camera pans down the street, showing the police station and a sign that says “love thy neighbor”.

**That’s my sign” Paul coats murmured.**

The Latimer house. Beth and mark are asleep away from each other. 

**Beth turns to look at Mark. “Why are we there?"  
Marks shakes his head. “I don’t know.”**

The click ticks and the music swells.  
We see Danny’s room. He isn’t in his bed.  
He’s standing in top of a cliff. Blood drips from his hand. He closes his eyes, and the title sequence rolls. 

**That’s Mark’s boy!” Someone cries out.** **Beth clutches Danny’s hand. “What are you doing on a cliff?!”** **Danny’s head switches between the screen and his mother, his mouth open. He doesn’t know, but he can’t get the words out. Why was he on a cliff? Was he going to jump? He would never do something like that!**

The scene fades into Beth’s wallpaper. She wakes, her hair messy.  
She reaches over to her watch. “Oh god” she climbs out of bed.

She walks through into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you wake me?”  
Mark is frying something. “I did. You told me to piss off.”

**Some people laugh. It’s a complete mood change from a couple of seconds ago.**

“I don’t remember.”  
Mark scoffs. “I do. All the clocks have stopped in the house.”  
“It’s probably just a fuse”  
Chloe is sitting at the table eating something. “Oh mum, I’ve got a temperature.”  
Beth scoffs. “You haven’t.”  
Chloe sighs. “I’m not going.”  
“If I have to, you have to. Doesn’t she?”  
Mark shakes his head. “Not getting involved.”  
Liz, Beth’s mum walks in. Beth kisses her on the cheek. “hi mum.”  
“Morning, darling.” She holds up a box. “Fresh eggs!”  
Beth laughs. Liz sits down next to Chloe.  
“I’ve got a temperature”  
Liz raises her eyebrows. “Have you now?”  
Beth shakes her head. “She hasn’t. Have you seen Danny? He left his pack lunch.”

**Elizabeth and Sophie exchange a knowing look.**

Mark walks away. “Nope, already gone. I’ve gotta go, I’m late to meet Nige.”

Mark walks along the street and bumbs into the Millers. Ellie jokes about going back to work. Joe says he and Mark should get the boys together.

He says yes and goodbye. He talks to loads of people on the street. It’s obviously a very tight-knit community.  
He bangs on the van door and gets in, where Nige is sitting in the driver’s seat. Nige ribs him for being late, then asks him about last night with a smirk. Mark tells him to just drive.

**Mark turns to look at Becca fisher, and looks away in shame.  
Beth stares at him. “What is he talking about?”  
Mark doesn’t answer.**

Ellie is back at work. She hands out presents for everyone. They are all obviously inside jokes.  
She gets called into the bosses office, smiling. She looks happy. “whats the news?”  
Jenkins sighs. “We’ve given the job to someone else.

**Ellie gasps.**

Ellie’s face falls. “What?”  
“I know it’s a disappointment.”  
“You said you’d wait until I got back from leave! You said I was a shoo-in!”  
Jenkins put a pen down. “the situation changed.”

**“What?!” Ellie gasps, looking at Joe.**

“Christ” she out her hands in her head. “who got it?”  
“DI Alec Hardy.”

**“What?!” Ellie says again.**

Ellie gapes. “A man? What happened to 'this area needs a female DI'? What happened to I’ve got your backing?”  
“Alec Hardy has a lot of experience.”

**Hardy preens. As much as he hates attention, it felt good for people to be saying good things about him.**

“Why do I know that name?”  
“He was in charge of the sandbrook murders.”  
Ellie blinks. “are you kidding me? When does he start?”  
Jenkins stiffened. “last week.” **"WHAT?!” Ellie says, almost shouting.**

It cuts to Alec Hardy talking to a man about a break in to his field. The officer he’s with gets a radio message and they have to leave. The gamer isn’t happy. Apparently there is a call from the coastguard. There’s been something found on the beach.  
Back in the office, Ellie is calling Joe. She thinks she should just walk out. She gets a shout to go down to the beach.  
At the school sports day, Chole is being dragged along by Beth. They can’t see Danny. Chole says he’ll be with his class and leaves with a kiss from Beth.  
Beth sits down, and a teacher approches her. Danny hasn’t showed up to school. He hasn’t been seen at school since yesterday. Beth calls Danny, but there’s no answer. She leaves a message.

**“Oh god.” Beth whispered.**

She calls jack Marshall to see is he did his paper round that morning, but he didn’t show up.  
She calls mark, but he doesn’t answer either. She tries not to panic, and walks away.  
She drives along and comes to a traffic jam. The cars are completely stopped. On the radio it says something about the beach being closed. People are getting out their cars.  
Beth gets out and asks a lady what’s going on. She says the police are at the beach, and they might have found a body.  
Beth freezes, and starts running towards the beach. She leaves the car, and runs as fast as she can. 

**Mark puts an arm round her shoulder. He tries not to panic himself. Is this what this is all about? Danny?**

At the beach, it’s all been cordened off. Alec Hardy walks along to where a paramedic is examening a body of a young boy. He whispers to himself “oh god, don’t do this to me”

**Beth starts to cry. She puts a hand over her mouth, cuddling into Mark’s arm.**

Ellie appears, shows her badge to the officers and walks towards the body and Alec. She starts to shake her head. “No no no oh god no oh god”  
Alec hears her and immediately assumes she a member of the public and tries to get her off the beach.  
“No I’m police!” she gives him her badge. “Oh god, I know him! He likes here. He has tea at my house. He’s my boy’s best friend!” She cries.

**Tom breaths in shakily. That’s really Danny.**

She stops and looks at Hardy. “Oh god, Beth. Does Beth know?”  
He tries to calm her down. “Alright, ok, calm down.”  
“No, you don’t understand, I know that boy!”  
“Shut it off.”  
She stares at him as if he’s crazy. “Shut it off?”  
“Be professional. You’re working a case now.”

**Alec nods. That sounds like something he’d say.**

She nodded, wiping a year from her eye.  
Alec holds out his hand for her to shake. “Alec Hardy.”  
She looks at it, but doesn’t take it. “I know you got my job.”  
He drops it, staring at her. “really, you wanna do that now?”  
She points at him and shouts “you don’t even know who he is!”  
“tell me, then!”  
Her voices quietens. “Danny, Daniel Latimer. 11 years old. Goes to school with my boy Tom. His famt live here, his dad’s the local plumber.”

**A tear slips down Mark's cheek.**

Alec looks up at the cliff. “Is this a suicide spot?”  
Ellie shakes her head. “he wouldn’t do that”

**Danny shook his head. “I would never.”**

“Answer the question”  
She shakes her head. “There are others – one three miles west, another further inland. But he’s not that type of kid!”  
Alec nods, bit partly ignores her. “Find out where SOCO are, we have to move fast. That tide'll be in.” he points to the sea.  
Beth has made it to the beach. There are police vans everywhere now. She come up to the police tape in the beach, and slips pasts the officers, running towards the body.

**“Oh, Fuck.” Hardy says.**

Alec sees her and taps Ellie “Oh god, oh god, who’s that?”  
Ellie sees her too. “No, Beth! Get off the beach!”

**Ellie shakes her head in disbelief. This can’t be real… this can’t be happening!**

Beth pays no attention. “what have you found? Let me see, let me see.”  
Ellie tried to push her away. “you can’t be here!”

**Chloe grabs Danny’s hand.**

Alec grabs one of the guards. “Stop! Get her off the beach!”  
Beyh is fighting to get to the body. “Get off me. Those are his shoes. Those are Danny’s trainers!”  
“Beth, come on!”

**Beth is sobbing uncontrollably now.**

“No! Those are his shoes! NO! DANNY!” she’s crying out now, and is carried away by the officers.  
Alec and Ellie watch, grimacing. Ellie puts her hands on her head.

**Elizabeth picks up the remote and pauses it. Nobody speaks. There’s no sound except for Beth’s crying and everyone else quietly sniffling. “How about we take a break?” Elizabeth says.**

**Sophie points to the door. “toliets are second on the left.” It was obviously directed at Mark and Beth.**  
**They leave, and everyone watches. Even after they went through the doors, nobody dared speak. ******  
**Danny looked around at everyone in shock. He staggered up out of his seat. Chloe grabbed his arm, and they slid outside.**  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus fucking Christ. That was hard to write.


End file.
